What Makes Mixte Bikes so Strong?

In a 1999 Bicycling magazine repair guide, author Jim Langley wrote, “If you need a frame without a top tube for clearance reasons, a mixte frame bike provides much more rigidity and strength and is much lighter than a ladies’ frame bike.” The secret of that strength? “Triangulation,” master mechanic and West Seattle bike shop owner Aaron Goss explained. “The stress of a normal ladies’ frame is concentrated at the junction of the seat tube and lowered top tube; there are no seat stays to brace against.” The added structural stability of the third set of seat stays helps to counter the stress on the seat tube caused by the weight of the rider, making the bike a stronger take on the standard step-through frame.